Blaze News - Pakistan

In a bid to make the process of obtaining remand more viable and transparent, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has instructed magisterial courts not to grant remand in the absence of the accused. The court directed to examine progress in the investigation and refuse to extend the physical remand if there is no strong reason placed by the investigation officers (IOs) of the cases. The directive, issued by a division bench led by Justice Ali Zia Bajwa, outlines guidelines for magistrates and administrative judges to follow when deciding matters related to accused individuals on physical remand. The bench emphasised that the accused should have a fair opportunity to oppose the IO’s remand request, either personally or through legal representation. It stressed the need for objections to be documented, with magistrates ensuring the accused's safety during police custody. Read more: LHC seeks record of official’s appointment According to the directives, magistrates are prohibited from issuing...

Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, the former chief minister of Punjab and PTI leader, continues to face legal challenges as a magisterial court extended his two-day physical remand on Saturday. The extension comes as part of ongoing investigations by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), which claims to have recovered Rs4.1 million from Elahi's residence. The recovery is linked to a case against him, alleging that he amassed money through illegal appointments within the Punjab Assembly. Elahi vehemently denied the ACE's version, expressing his bewilderment regarding the alleged recovery and its connection to corruption. Magistrate Imran Abid has requested a report on the progress of the investigation for the next hearing. During the proceedings, the lawyer representing the Anti-Corruption Establishment argued that they intended to retrieve more essential documents from Elahi's possession after finding the said amount. They requested an extension of Elahi's physical remand for f...

In the aftermath of the release and subsequent re-arrest of political leaders following their bail hearings, the legal community on Saturday called upon Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faiz Isa to uphold the supremacy of the law, saying that some “powerful camps” have openly flouted the law without any regard for its principles. The members of the legal fraternity, alongside politicians and columnists, addressed a seminar organised at a local hotel by the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) under the title “On human rights, Pakistan Constitution and way forward”. The legal fraternity equated this "disobedience" with an attempt to mock the Constitution, wherein, the leaders of a political party were arrested again by lodging fresh cases after the release orders by the courts. They also urged the need for fair transparent elections for political stability. Read More: Elahi rearrested after short walk of liberty “The country has been trapped in the clamps of lawlessness, th...

A petition challenging the 'grant of interest-free loans' was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the earlier approval of the monetary facility extended to eleven judges of the high court. The petition requested the court to declare the act 'unlawful' as it violates the equity clause and code of conduct of the judges.  “The act of respondents chief secretary, secretary S&GAD, secretary finance civil secretariat and judges amounts to violation of Article 2-A and 25 of the Constitution as it amounts to discrimination and inequality." "The public at large and even the poor are being charged 22 percent interest on loans while a judge who is withdrawing a whopping Rs900,000 salary is getting interest free loan and that is something unethical, immoral and unjustified” the petitioner Muhshkoor Hussain contended in his petition. The LHC judges had desired to avail the facility of interest-free loans equal to 36 basic pays for the purchase/construction of ...

An anti-terrorism court in Lahore initiated proclamation proceedings on Monday under Section 87 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) against 22 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, including the party chief’s sister, in a case pertaining to the attack on the Lahore Corps Commander’s House on May 9. Section 87 of the CrPc pertains to proclamation for persons absconding or concealing themselves to avoid execution of warrants issued against them. The ATC initiated proceedings against Murad Saeed, Ali Ameen Gandapur, Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, Azam Khan Swati, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Hammad Azhar, Farrukh Habib, Zubair Niazi, Asad Zaman, Hassan Khan Niazi, Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh, Hafiz Farrat Abbas, Ghulam Abbas, Ali Hassan, Saeed Ahmed, Shafqat Ameen, Uzma Khan, Aleema Khan, Andleeb Abbas, Ahmed Khan Niazi, Khalid Gujar and Malik Karamat Ali Khokhar. Read Ex-PTI MPA among 16 handed over to army for trial They are accused of creating a law and order situation, causing chaos and attacking the Lahor...

Advocate General Punjab Muhammad Shan Gul tendered his resignation on Saturday highlighting his inability to perform the functions of his office due to domestic commitments which he could no longer postpone. The letter was written to Governor Punjab Muhammad Balighur Rehman and the chief minister Punjab Mohsin Raza Naqvi contending that “it was in the early make of my return to private practice after only recently having not been confirmed as a permanent judge of the Lahore High Court, that I had found myself approached by Mr. Mohsin Naqvi the chief minister Punjab, Mr. Zahid Akhtar Zaman the chief secretary and Mr. Ahmed Raza Sarwar the additional chief secretary in relation to my availability to serve as the advocate general of the province. At the time I was offered this esteemed position, I had been specifically informed that the appointment was only for a short duration, which prompted me to accept it,” the resignation stated. It further added that “at the time of my assumption of...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the Punjab caretaker government to disclose details of all cases registered against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairperson Shah Mehmood Qureshi by June 6. The former foreign minister has been in police custody in the aftermath of the May 9 attacks on sensitive state installations. On May 23, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered the release of Qureshi after he submitted an undertaking to the court. However, hours later he was re-arrested by the Punjab Police from outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Subsequently, his daughter, Meher Bano Qureshi had approached the LHC seeking details of all undisclosed or new first information reports (FIR) registered against her father. The Punjab chief secretary and inspector general police (IGP) had been nominated among the respondents in the petition. She had requested the court to direct the concerned quarters to give protection of law to Qureshi and not to arrest him in any new criminal c...

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claimed on Monday that PTI President Chaudhry Pervez Elahi’s son and other family members were not cooperating with the investigation in a case pertaining to funds deposited in the bank account of a Punjab Assembly employee. The agency revealed this in a report it submitted to the Lahore High Court (LHC) in connection with a plea filed by petitioners Rasikh Elahi, Tahreem Elahi and Zahra Elahi, seeking direction to quash the FIR registered against them for money laundering. The report stated that on January 24, the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab registered a criminal case against PA employee Qaisar Iqbal Bhatti and sent a referral letter, along with copy of the FIR and connected material, to the office of the answering respondent to initiate an investigation into money laundering under the relevant provisions of AMLA-2010. Read ‘PML-Q’s door closed on Elahi’ This office was communicated by the ACE Punjab that Bhatti was a low-wage ...

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore summoned DIG operations to provide an explanation for the search warrants issued for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan's residence in Zaman Park. Notably, the ATC had issued the warrants on May 18 which have been challenged by the PTI Chairman. As the proceedings commenced, Commissioner Lahore, DC Lahore and other officials appeared before ATC judge Abhar Gull's court. The judge inquired why the officials had visited Imran Khan's residence, to which the commissioner responded by saying that they had not yet implemented the search warrant. "We visited Zaman Park to remove encroachments," he said contending that the PTI chief had consented to their removal as well. The judge questioned whether the police required the search warrant. Read May 9 riots: ‘8 terrorists’ escaping Zaman Park The Investigation Officer (IO) replied that they needed some time to consult and would only then be in a position to provide furth...